Housing benefit change of circumstances
Housing benefit change of circumstances
If you are already claiming housing benefit, the information below will apply to you.
Housing benefit change of circumstances
It is crucial that you inform of us of any changes in circumstances. These changes can relate to yourself, or another member of your household.
We must be notified within one month of the change to ensure you don't lose money you are entitled to, or receive too much money that you will have to pay back.
Please see below for our benefits calculator:
How to report a change of circumstances:
By post
If you need to notify us of a change of circumstances:
If you receive Housing Benefit from Northumberland Council and are moving within the Northumberland area, you can fill out a change of address form:
To ensure your change in circumstances is processed as soon as possible your form should be posted to:
Benefit Section
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE61 2EF
It is important you provide us with the original evidence that supports your change in circumstances where appropriate, for example, pay slips, bank statements or birth certificates.
Photocopies are not accepted and originals will be returned
If you require further help or information, please phone 0345 600 6400 (charged at your local rate).
Examples of changes you must tell us about:
Changes to your income
You need to tell us if:
- you, or anyone living with you, gets a job (regardless of working hours), changes their job, or leaves their job
- you start or stop getting income support, jobseekers' allowance, employment support allowance
- you start or stop getting tax credits
- the money you or your partner gets increases or decreases
- the money non-dependants get increases or decreases
- there are any other changes in the money people in your home get
Changes in your home You need to tell us if:
- you change your address
- the number of people in your home changes
- anyone moves into or out of your home (including lodgers/sub-tenants)
- your rent changes, your landlord changes, or moves
Other changes You need to tell us if:
- you, or your partner, go into hospital for more than six weeks
- you, or your partner, become a student, or stop being a student
- the amount of savings or capital you have changes
- any of your children leave school or home
- someone starts to receive Universal Credit
In all cases, it is your duty to notify us of any changes in your circumstances. Do not rely on someone else to pass the message on.
Additional help & advice
If you are already claiming housing benefit and need additional financial help, we may be able to help you.
Repaying overpaid Housing Benefit
You may have received more Housing Benefit than you should have done.
This could be because:
- the information you gave was wrong
- you did not report a change in your circumstances straight away
- you gave the wrong information when you reported a change of circumstances
- there was a mistake with your payment
- a fraudulent claim was made
Pay an overpayment
You must make your payment straight away.
If you have any problems, contact us immediately.
Telephone: 0345 600 6400 (Monday to Thursday, 8:30am to 5pm and Friday, 8:30am to 4pm)
QR code
Scan the QR code on the bottom of the overpayment invoice.
This will take you to the Council payments site.
You can pay by debit or credit card.
Online
Pay online using your debit or credit card. You'll need your overpayment invoice number.
Internet
You can pay by debit or credit card.
Visit www.northumberland.gov.uk
Telephone
Pay using your debit or credit card on our automated telephone service.
Telephone: 0345 600 6400 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
You'll need your overpayment invoice number.
Direct debit
Pay by Direct Debit on the 1st of each month.
Telephone: 0345 600 6400 (Monday to Thursday, 8:30am to 5pm and Friday, 8:30am to 4pm).
Ask to speak to an Overpayments Officer to set up your instruction.
Standing order
You can set up a standing order at your bank or use your online banking.
You'll need your overpayment invoice number and our bank details.
Bank Name: Barclays Bank PLC
Sort Code: 20-58-25
Account Number: 53023915
Post Office or PayPoint
Take your benefit overpayment invoice to any Post Office or PayPoint outlet.
You'll need the overpayment invoice bar code to process your payment.
You'll get a receipt for the payment.
There's no fee for this service. Find my nearest Post Office Find my local PayPoint store
By post
Make your cheque or postal order payable to Northumberland County Council. Write the overpayment invoice number on the back of the cheque or postal order. Address
Income Section
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
NE61 2EF
If you disagree with the overpayment
You can write and ask for a review of your overpayment within one month of the decision notice. Landlords can write and ask for a review within one month of this notice if
- they have received an invoice for payment
- a deduction is being made from benefits they receive, to recover an overpayment about another tenant
Address
Benefit Department
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
NE61 2EF
(Do not bring any documents in person to County Hall)
How we can recover the money
If you receive Housing Benefit, we'll recover the overpayment from your current benefit payments.
If you do not get Housing Benefit, we'll send an invoice or recover the overpayment from other benefits.
The Council can contact your employer to collect payments from your wages each week or month. You must repay the overpayment in full.
The Council can recover an overpayment from the person who caused it, or from the person who received it.
We will not let recovering the overpayment affect any criminal proceedings the Council may bring in respect of fraudulent claims.
Information for landlords
If the Council decides to recover overpayment from a landlord, it'll issue an invoice.
The Council may also make deductions from other tenants' benefits paid to that landlord. Do not treat that deducted amount as rent arrears. The landlord must not recover that shortfall from tenants.
If a landlord has not paid their invoice or broken a repayment arrangement, the Council can go to court to get the money back.
If landlords frequently do not repay overpayments, the Council can declare them unfit under benefit rules and refuse to pay them directly.
Reporting benefit fraud
People who deliberately claim benefits they are not entitled to are committing a criminal offence. If a landlord, who is paid housing benefit directly, fails to notify the council their tenant has left the property, they may be committing benefit fraud.
Tell us what you think of this page
Your feedback on the content can help us improve the website.
Provide Feedback open_in_new